


Gifts

by Luckythirteen45



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gift Giving, Harold is too ethical for his own good, M/M, Nothing explicit, more the hint of smut, vague smut in chapter two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-13 12:36:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14112477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luckythirteen45/pseuds/Luckythirteen45
Summary: Based on a lovely prompt from MnemonicMadness. Harold starts giving John gifts to he can get a kiss on the cheek. Now with Second Chapter with John as the gift giver.





	1. Harold the Gift Giver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MnemonicMadness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MnemonicMadness/gifts).



> Based on this post.  href= https://mnemonicmadness.tumblr.com/post/172012312318/ashleybear-hat-you-could-just-ask-probably rel="nofollow">Klick this link both.  
> This is probably going to have a John as the gift giver version added because I couldn't really decide who I wanted to be the gift giver so why not,

Harold had a problem, while it didn’t compare to some of the problems from his past (his father’s illness, the government after him first at 17 then for building the machine) it was still something that he need to address. 

It all started on John’s birthday when he and given him the box with the key to the loft in it. When John had looked up at him with tears in his eyes and that smile it was all he could to not to give John everything he wished for and tear apart the lives of the people that had hurt him. Though it was what happened before John left that was the problem. Just before he left, John had leaned down and planted a small kiss on Harold’s cheek whispering ‘Thanks Finch’ in his ear and left. With the disaster that came after with the number, the kiss was pushed to the side but now that the number was resolved, and John was back and working numbers the memory of the kiss returned as well.

Harold knew he was developing feeling for the ex-agent, since probably when he revealed that he liked the eggs benedict in a small café. It had taken Nathan two years to learn what he preferred to eat for breakfast. Harold hadn’t thought he would feel this way again after losing Grace and Nathan, but John had snuck in like the spy he was trained to be.  
He would have never acted on his feelings for Reese given that he was the man’s employer and benefactor, not to mentioned he most likely had pulled John back from certain death by giving him a purpose. He would hate to become the kind of man that abuses the power that they have over someone. Though the kiss had given him a new angle, was it out of desire or gratefulness for a gift? Even if John only ever kissed him on the cheek as a thank you for a thoughtful gift, it would be well worth it.

And that wasn’t so bad, right. He would never demand a kiss, but if John kissed him it was of his own will and Harold got to take care of him in a small way. Mind made up, Harold pulled up a new window to start looking for his next gift to John.

(A few days later)

Harold had arrived first to they library and with no new number, yet it was the perfect time to give his gift to John. When John arrived at the library he immediately noticed the small box sitting where he normally put their breakfast.

“Hey Finch, you could have let me know you had already had breakfast, I wouldn’t have brought so many doughnuts if I’d known.” John said with amusement as the box was clearly too small to hold any kind of food item

“It’s not breakfast as you well know Mr. Reese.” Harold shot back, then took a breath “It’s actually as gift for you.” John set down the box of doughnuts and had picked up the box opening it after Harold finished his sentence.

“You mentioned that the bike you used while trailing Detective Carter was a good mode of transportation, I thought having a spare that would blend well with any high class covers would be a good addition.” John had the same awestruck look he had on his birthday which made Harold feel warm inside knowing that he had made John happy. 

“The Ducati 1199 Superleggera will be delivered tonight to your parking space at your apartment. Feel free to ride it any time. The paperwork will have all the necessary information in it.” Harold finished, while John stood there for a moment more. Then blinking seemed to come back to himself.

“Thanks Finch,” John said in the same whisper that he had used the first time. Then swiftly lent down and kissed Harold on the cheek and then just as quickly grabbed a doughnut and walked over to his usual chair to eat his breakfast.

Harold had an extra spring in is step the whole day, created two new IDs for John, and was able to finally figure out the problem that was stumping him in a side project. Clearly, he needed to give John more gifts if it was going to make John happy and help him think more clearly.

(Two days later)

Once again there was a box sitting on Harold’s desk where breakfast normally goes. This time it contained two rare types of guns (hard to obtain on the street) and so high-end cleaning supplies. While Harold didn’t like guns and probably never would, he understood that John did and enjoyed caring for them.

“Okay really Finch, what’s in the box?” John asked. Admittedly he could have made the shipping crate the guns came in look friendlier, but it was heavy enough as is and he really hadn’t want to handle the firearms.

“A gift Mr. Reese, some hard to trace guns and some cleaning supplies.” Finch said going for haughty, to distract John from the fact that he looked shocked that Harold would know where to find these types guns let alone purchase them.

After looking over the guns while Harold watched out of the corner of his eye pretending to be working on his computers. John turned towards Harold and then grabbed his chair and dropped to his knees so the were face to face and eye level.

“Harold if you wanted a kiss you could have just asked me.” John chuckled quietly as Harold flushed at that. And he raised his hand to cup Harold’s cheek “though I would really like to do more than kiss you on the cheek”

“This is where you slap me or kiss me Harold,” John said gently teasing to break his revive after Harold didn’t respond.

“Of course, but John I hope you know that I would never force you and these gifts truly…” Harold was cut off as John’s lips met his.

The kiss lasted for several moments then broke and both just looked at each other.

“No pressure, no obligation Harold. I just want you and if you want me too that’s more wonderful than I can say.” John said leaning into the hand that had made its way to cup his cheek during the kiss.

“Of course, I want you, in fact as there is no new number I say we leave immediately and head to your loft.” John looked vaguely shocked and Harold leaned in for another kiss. 

After the kiss broke Harold said, “Now that I have you Mr. Reese I have no intention of wasting time or letting you go.”

Harold’s words returned the genuine smile to John’s face and as they walked out of the library, John grabbed his hand and didn’t let go once.


	2. John the Gift Giver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John is the gift giver this time and he tries really hard to be subtle and fails miserably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the John version and thank you to Aragana that helped me find the episode/quote I was looking for so Harold gets gifts of things he collects!

It started with Bear. After John had rescued Harold from Root, he knew that the paranoid man would most likely feel more comfortable with additional protection. Since Harold probably wouldn’t like John’s plan of never leaving Harold by himself again he hoped Bear would sooth both of their nerves. The first meeting wasn’t the resounding success that he had hoped for, but it had worked out in the end. Bear was a firm fixture in their lives and in the privacy of John’s own mind their family.

Though he had spent the last couple of months since that first meeting, between numbers, looking for another copy of the book Bear had carelessly eaten. Just the day before his contact called saying that it had come in.

Luckily for John he had taken Bear home with him last night, so he could take him on his early morning jog and since Harold didn’t have to get up for Bear, John had beaten him to the library. He set the carefully wrapped box on Harold’s desk next to the box of doughnuts he had bought for breakfast.

“Now play it cool okay, we are trying to surprise Harold,” John said to Bear “so try not to eat this one okay.”  
Bear tilted his head at his alpha for a moment the woofed.

“I’m not sure if that was agreement but I’m holding you to it.” Just then John heard the clang of the security gate from the lower level signaling Harold’s arrival. John quickly grabbed his coffee off the desk and sat down in a chair and opened the book he had been reading yesterday.

“Good morning Mr. Reese….and hello Bear.” Harold greeted them both though Bear’s greeting also consisted of a through pat on the head and a belly rub once Harold had sat down at his desk. Both things John tried not to be jealous of.

“Mr. Reese, what’s this?” Harold asked after he finished with Bear, his hand hovering over the wrapped box.

“Well Harold, generally when people get gifts they start with the card, it usually helps.” John said not able to keep the teasing tone out of his voice. The small folded card said:

Sorry that I ate your book  
\--Bear

Hope this makes up for the not so great first meeting, Bear and I have been saving up.  
\--John 

Harold set the note aside then opened the box revealing the first addition within. Harold sat there looking at the book for a minute then turned his chair toward John and stated walking toward him. Once Harold reached him, he gingerly leaned down and gave John a tiny kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, John that was very thoughtful.” Harold whispered then Bear sensing the weird mood between them bounded over and demanded more pets. Moment broken Harold turned to Bear.

“Thank you as well Bear, all is forgiven.” Bear barked happily, and Harold started talking about the day’s number.

John was in a daze the rest of the day, thankfully the number was straight forward and didn’t require him to be fully present. His mind was still stuck on the tiny kiss Harold had given him. John first instinct was to figure out how he could get Harold to do it again and as often as possible because nothing in a long time had felt as good as that little kiss. He spent most of the day repressing that instinct.

He knew what he was, and he was no good for someone like Harold. He had fallen for the recluse early in their partnership, but it wasn’t till Harold tried to stop one of the four numbers from being blown up right before he was shot by Snow did he realize what he was feeling. John knew Harold thought he was good, but Harold saw everyone that way, he was too dirty to be with someone as pure as Harold. He would just drag him down to his level and he couldn’t do that to Harold just like he couldn’t do it to Jessica.

On the flip side Harold kissed him of his own volition, did that mean he harbored feeling for John or was it just the lack of ‘human interaction’ and Harold just didn’t know how to respond to a thoughtful gift. John decided that in the end he didn’t have enough information, so he would continue to give Harold gifts. Not very often so not to arouse suspicion and he wouldn’t ask for a kiss from Harold. If it was offered he wouldn’t say no and pretend that he wasn’t longing for it with every fiber of his being.

(a few weeks later)

John’s next gift he happened upon by chance. Tailing one of the numbers happened to lead John to spend some time waiting in a second-hand store displaying signs for the best vinyl collection in the city which was across from where the number was having a business meeting. After the number was done John returned to the store and found they did have an excellent selection of vinyl (which he didn’t really notice his first time in the store) including several rare 180-gram vinyl records that his boss was sure to love. It also had another gift sitting in the corner, but he would give that to Harold after he gave him the vinyl.

The next day he arrived a minute before Harold, but it was just enough time for him to get the box of vinyl onto the desk and into his chair (no one had to know that he sprinted up the stairs, so Harold wouldn’t catch him.)

Harold merely raised an eyebrow at John when he saw the box. John casually put his book down and walked over to the desk, going for the box of pastries and hoping despite himself that if he was closer to Harold the odds of a kiss would go up.

“These are a wonderful find Mr. Reese, though I didn’t know you had an interest in vinyl.” Harold said confusion in his voice.

“Well I don’t really but while I has killing time in that second hand shop a few numbers ago I saw they had 180-gram vinyl and thought you would appreciate an expansion to your collection.” John said, using all of his training to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible.

“Thank you very much John, this was quite nice of you.” Harold said warmth coloring his voice and standing up on his toes leaned in and gave John a kiss on the cheek. This one lasting longer than the previous one. 

John was on practically walking on air the rest of the day. The Preparator trying to hurt the number gave up even more quickly than usual when confronted with Reese, as he couldn’t quite wipe the smile off of his face. Generally speaking, there is nothing scarier than a 6ft plus man grinning and holding a gun. 

(a week later)

When John came to a decision about what he was going to do about the kiss he promised himself no more that one gift a month at most. He had barely even started, and he was already breaking that rule, though at the same second-hand store he had run across the most perfect gift for Harold. In the corner of the shop there was a Xerox Alto (he had done some googling after finch said he collected them when Carter was their number otherwise he would have never known what it was). The shop keeper had thrown it in free with the vinyl Reese had bought saying that it had been sitting there for years.

He wasn’t quite as lucky this time with getting the gift into the library, he arrived the same time as Harold and Bear did. 

“Goodness Mr. Reese that box looks heavy, I hope that it isn’t more armaments as I believe you already have quite the collection here.” Harold said with mild disapproval in his voice.

John couldn’t help but chuckle, “No Finch it’s not guns or anything like that. Ill show you what it is in just a second.”

John set the box down on a table off to the side of Harold’s desk and removed the box from around the old computer. 

“While I was at the same place I got the vinyl, I saw this sitting in the corner and you mentioned you collected them if you could find them….” John trailed of suddenly nervous that he had said too much given the look Harold had.

“Mr.Re…John, I hope that you know that you can ask me for anything up to and including a kiss.” At Harold’s words John felt his cheeks heat up slightly, but Harold continued before he could interrupt.

“In fact, I would be extremely flattered though given my feelings for you I would like a more permanent and physical relationship with you.”

John stood speechless for a second then asked, “Harold may I have a kiss.”

“Of course,” Harold grabbed his jacket to pull him down then kissed him on the lips. He had forgotten that kissing could feel like this. Like home, and safely, wanting nothing more than to stay there in the moment and hoping it never ends. Though after a minute Harold pulled away.

Before he could say anything, John beat him to the punch. “Harold can I have a romantic relationship with you.”

“Yes” followed by a kiss.

“Can that relationship be physical as well?”

“Yes” This kiss was far more passionate.

“If we don’t have a number can we take this somewhere more vertical?”

“Yes” Harold said pushing John backward toward the crash room. The last clear thought John had was I guess we don’t have a number, then everything was Harold and pleasure.

(Bonus)

John was curled around Harold on the crash bed, when a sudden urge for mischief struck.

“Hey Harold,” Harold hummed, “Can I have a nuke?” John said thankful Harold couldn’t see the shit eating grin on his face.

“I do believe you have found the one thing I won’t give you John, though I’m sure I’ll think of something to make up for this crushing disappointment.” Harold said as dry as dust.


End file.
